Country Earl Baughman remembered for classic country radio show in Upstate

Wednesday

Dec 12, 2012 at 12:01 AMDec 13, 2012 at 1:14 AM

Country Earl Baughman was a throwback to another era, a disc jockey with a whimsical and unpolished on-air style that seemed to add to his appeal.

By DAN ARMONAITISdan.armonaitis@shj.com

Country Earl Baughman was a throwback to another era, a disc jockey with a whimsical and unpolished on-air style that seemed to add to his appeal.The Greenville native started his career on WESC in 1952 and for the next six decades continued to entertain area radio listeners with his folksy, down-home humor and a steady diet of classic country music by artists such as Hank Williams, George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells.Baughman, who died Monday afternoon at Greenville Memorial Hospital, also was a songwriter, musician and recording artist in his own right, and he owned and operated a popular restaurant and family-friendly entertainment venue in Simpsonville called Country Earl's Chompin and Stompin. He was 79.Baughman's daughter, Tammy Holt, said a funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, and that the public is invited to attend.“Daddy had a lot of followers, so we wanted to have (the funeral) somewhere that could accommodate a lot of people in case some of them want to come and pay their respects,” Holt said.One of the most popular local radio personalities during his tenure at WESC in the 1950s and '60s, Baughman is perhaps best remembered by younger generations as the host of the “Country Earl Classics Show,” a weekly specialty program that aired for several years on Gaffney's WAGI (105.3 FM) and later on the Greer-based WOLT (103.3 FM).“My dad didn't really listen to today's country music,” Holt said. “He really was just interested in the classics, and that's what he always played. That's what he grew up on, and that's what he loved.”Current WESC on-air personality Charlie Munson, during an appearance on WSPA-TV's “Scene on 7” Tuesday night, described Baughman as “genuine” and “real.”Munson said, “He wasn't polished, I guess, or flashy on the radio (or) in real life, but he was smart. He knew his audience, (and) he knew his advertisers. … He knew what he was doing.”Holt said that her father was among the first DJs to play Elvis Presley records on the radio and that he had an encyclopedic knowledge of classic country music.

“He knew everything about every classic country song you could possibly want to know,” she said.As a songwriter, Baughman was responsible for the rockabilly classic “Say Mama,” which was most famously recorded by Gene Vincent in 1958. The Stray Cats, best known for its 1982 hit “Stray Cat Strut,” often included “Say Mama” in its live sets, and videos of such performances can be found on YouTube.In the mid-1950s, Baughman led a band called Country Earl & the Circle E Ranch Gang that included Bobby Jones, Johnny Meeks and Paul Peek, all of whom later joined Vincent's backing band, the Blue Caps, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.Baughman also wrote a spiritual song called “God is My Shepherd,” which was recorded by the Statesmen Quartet and many other gospel acts. Holt said it will be performed at Saturday's funeral.Baughman opened what is best remembered as Country Earl's Chompin and Stompin in 1969. The alcohol-free venue provided patrons with home-style meals along with live music and dancing. It was later renamed Country Earl's Celebration Place.“He had that restaurant for 40 something years, and it was sort of a landmark in the community,” Holt said. “It provided jobs for a lot of teenagers, and it gave people in the area a place to go for family-friendly fun … I remember tour buses just flocking there all the time.”Baughman was predeceased by his son, John Earl Baughman, and is survived by his daughters, Holt, Candy Futrell and Susan Hall, along with a sister, three brothers and six grandchildren.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Country Earl's memory to The Muscular Dystrophy Association, 25 Woods Lake Rd., Suite 412, Greenville, S.C. 29607.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.